Abstract
We present a novel brush coating method for fabricating a coatable polarizer that utilizes a mixture of functionalized single-walled carbon nanotubes (h-SWCNTs) grafted with carboxyl and hydroxyl groups and a reactive mesogen (RM), which possess a long-range orientational ordering of their rod-shaped molecules with photo-sensitive functional groups. The h-SWCNTs are shortened to a length of around 150 nm by an acid sonochemical oxidation process and then dispersed in an RM solution. The brush-coated thin layer initially consists of h-SWCNT clusters, but applying an in-plane electric field induces large-scale stretching of these along the field direction, after which the layer is photo-polymerized by ultraviolet irradiation to form a film embedding the stretched nanotubes. The uniaxially aligned carbon nanotubes (CNTs) produce a broadband absorption spectrum that enables the film to exhibit an optical anisotropic property that absorbs incident light from the ultraviolet to the visible spectrum selectively depending on the polarization direction, thus acting as a coatable CNT polarizer. The dispersibility and elongation of h-SWCNT clusters induced by applying the electric field, as well as the anisotropic light-absorption properties of the h-SWCNT film, are investigated.
Highlights
A polarizer is one of the indispensable materials in liquid crystal displays and organic light-emitting diode displays
We present a novel brush coating method for fabricating a coatable polarizer that utilizes a mixture of functionalized single-walled carbon nanotubes (h-single-walled CNTs (SWCNTs)) grafted with carboxyl and hydroxyl groups and a reactive mesogen (RM), which possess a long-range orientational ordering of their rod-shaped molecules with photo-sensitive functional groups
These results clearly show that hydroxyl groups are introduced onto the surface of the h-SWCNTs, which is in good agreement with Ref. 18
Summary
A polarizer is one of the indispensable materials in liquid crystal displays and organic light-emitting diode displays. Our group has previously reported a coatable thin-film polarizer based on functionalized CNT clusters/reactive mesogen (RM) mixtures, in which the CNT clusters are stretched and unidirectionally oriented by an external stimulus such as an electric field.[16]. Thanks to remarkable improvements in the thermal stability and high conductivity of CNTs over iodine and selective light absorption of stretched CNT clusters, this approach can extend their applications to many other areas, from broadband polarizers to more thermal-resistant and less electrostatic polarizers. This method offers the advantage of large-scale film manufacturing. The ease of processing and uniform polarization properties of CNT polarizers make them potentially applicable to large-sized flexible displays and open up new methods for developing such displays in the future
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